August 22, 2005
Katherine Trinidad
Headquarters, Washington
(Phone: 202/358-3749)
Nicole Cloutier-Lemasters
Johnson Space Center, Houston
(Phone: 281/483-5111)
RELEASE: 05-232
SPACE STATION VISIT INSPIRES ASTRONAUT'S PASSION FOR PHOTOGRAPHY
For centuries, exotic spaces from exotic places have captured the
hearts of many photographers, both professional and amateur. For
Expedition 10 International Space Station Commander Leroy Chiao, it
was something out of this world -- his extraordinary view 230 miles
above the Earth -- that inspired him to capture thousands of majestic
images from space.
NASA is featuring some of his personal favorites on the Internet. "One
of the highlights of my time on orbit was to look out the window at
the Earth and snap photos," Chiao said. He returned in April from his
long-duration spaceflight.
As part of his duties, Chiao captured photos and video of Earth based
on suggestions made by a team of scientists before the mission began.
The scientists identified photo opportunities that aligned with the
Station's daily orbit that included meteorological and, atmospheric
phenomena, geographical, manmade and natural landmarks. These
Earth-observation photos are valuable to the scientific and research
community.
Chiao faced some unique challenges to capture some of the images.
"Being in space means having to find ways to support yourself and the
camera," Chiao explained. "In addition, since the Earth is moving
past at 17,500 miles per hour, or about five miles per second, you
must pan the camera as the shutter is released, otherwise the image
will blur and appear out of focus," he said.
Chiao found what began as a routine task developed into a passionate
hobby, as he gained more interest and skill in photography. "You
know, after a while you just get a little better and a little better,
and after six and a half months, you get to take a few good ones,"
Chiao said.
Chiao picked his top 10 favorite photographs, and the images are
available on the Web, along with several more of his photos from
space. His top photographs include images of the Great Wall of China
and the Himalayan Mountains.
"I try to be artistic, but I am, in many ways, a typical engineer.
Photography in space helped to bring out the artistic side in me,"
Chiao said. "The beauty of the Earth was very inspiring, and I tried
to find new ways to capture and express that beauty," he added.
For more information about Chiao's photographs on the Web, visit:
http://www.nasa.gov/vision/space/livinginspace/chiao_photo.html
To view Chiao's top 10 photographs on the Web, visit:
http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/multimedia/chiao_top10_gallery.html
For information about NASA and agency programs on the Web, visit:
http://www.nasa.gov/home/index.html
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